Fantasy Draftathlon, Event 3: Rock & Roll HOF Inductees

We might only be two events into our 10-event Fantasy Draftathlon, but there’s a clear pecking order emerging – and that’s bad news for Bobby Sylvester and Kyle Yates.

With Dan Harris and Mike Tagliere having burst out to the early lead through two drafts, another poor result from either Bobby or Yates in our third event of the competition – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees – could very well knock one or both of them out of contention for top spot. And both guys went in completely opposite directions this time around, with Yates opting for a more classic artist roster and Bobby putting together one of the most eclectic collections of musicians you’ll find anywhere.

The rules for this draft were (fairly) simple:

Each participant was required to choose 3 inductees selected prior to 2000 (green), 3 inductees from the 2000s (red), 3 inductees from the 2010s (yellow) and 3 FLEX (blue) in a snake draft format.
All inductees are included in the field (not just artists).
Those inducted multiple times had to be selected based on their individual inductions; Eric Clapton, for example, has been inducted three times, but for this draft, his inductions were split into his solo career and his stints with Cream and The Yardbirds.

Here’s a look at the results:

Final Draft Board

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Final Rosters

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Notable Omissions

Simon and Garfunkel
Aretha Franklin
Stevie Nicks
James Brown
The Eagles
Ramones
The Cure
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Black Sabbath
Rush
Def Leppard
Public Enemy
The Doors
Santana
Kiss

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Overrated!

The “stick to fantasy” crowd might come out in full force upon learning some of what Tags had to say in the early portion of the draft.

Exhibit A: “While I appreciate what The Beatles were, I’ll be the one to say it … they were overrated. There’ll be another pick in this draft I’ll say that about, too. Just wait. Don’t get me wrong, the Beatles were good, but I don’t think they’re a top-10 all-time band.”

Exhibit B: “Not afraid to say it – Nirvana was overrated. They did a lot for the grunge music scene, which is why I’m cool with them in the R&R HOF, but overall, their music is simply solid. I guess you have to factor in their influence, but I don’t ever hear one of their songs and think, ‘Oh my goodness, I can’t skip this song.'”

Exhibit C: “The absolute worst thing to ever happen to my Itunes library was when U2 gave you that free album. I COULDN’T GET IT OFF THERE.”

While the majority of readers might agree with that last point, those first two are scorching-hot fire. We can only imagine what else Tags thinks is overrated. Pizza? Fun? Babies? SPILL IT, TAGS.

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They Said It

Did the fact that I know nothing about rock and roll music prevent me from destroying self-proclaimed music maniacs in this draft? Of course, not! You see, once I took a glance through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, I knew I was in over my head. So I did what any winner would do. I assembled a team of experts. Much like using Draft Wizard, I had a team of music-lovers in my war room with me to help me make the picks. They say I won hands down, and based on all the groans in the draft room when I was robbing Tags and Yates of all their picks, it seems that the other analysts even think I won. I don’t know who Tupac Shakur is, but from what I hear, he was a heck of a fourth-round pick, thank you very much.
-Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)

There’s simply no competition when it comes to my draft versus the rest of the guys. To snag The Beatles at 1.03 is pure robbery and that trend continued down the board. Johnny Cash is an all-time great, Freddie Mercury of Queen may be the best male vocalist of all-time, and you simply do not have Blues or Rock and Roll music without the B.B. King. (Bobby didn’t even know who B.B. King was, so I would probably avoid voting for him.) My final rounds are where it gets absolutely beautiful though. Fleetwood Mac and Bob Marley in the final two rounds shouldn’t happen, but it did. This is an easy win here.
-Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

I admit that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are not my primary of expertise. But, as one of the elder statesmen of the group, I felt I had more background in some of the older artists. I had some personal favorites among the more recent inductees, including Nirvana (single-handedly influenced the 1990s music scene), the Beastie Boys (defined my youth), and Radiohead (consistent excellence with a variety of sounds), and paired them with a solid lineup up and down. Hitting late on some forgotten but defining members of the hall including David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and the Who, made my lineup strong all around.
-Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Music is such a beautiful thing because it touches every single person in a different way. In this draft, I stayed true to the way music touches me. While many would argue the Beatles should’ve been the No. 1 overall pick, Elvis was more influential to me. Elton John and Michael Jackson transcend through generations and shouldn’t have been available at the 2/3 turn. Genesis and Billy Joel were two staples in my childhood, and everyone knows their songs when they come on. Bob Dylan in the seventh round was the steal of the draft, and they all admitted it once he came off the board.Bobby clearly tried to corner a market in this draft and stole many good rock acts, but I urge you, before voting for him, make him tell you a few of their songs beforehand (Hint: he won’t be able to give you any). He also took Tupac and Biggie, while not knowing those two had issues (I’m not kidding). Yates took some solid bands with some solid tracks, but his roster doesn’t stack up without many heavy hitters. Harris took some crowd pleasers, so while I believe he is my biggest competition, you can’t tell me he’s as deep as I am throughout his roster.
-Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)

Who wins Draftathlon Event 3: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees?

— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) April 6, 2020

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Draft Highlights

Upon selecting Michael Jackson in Round 3, Tags explained: “Dirty Diana is my jam.” #TagsFacts in full effect early on!
Bobby nabbed AC/DC, and offered this explanation: “My Dad told me to draft AC/DC or he will disown me. He drove a black Thunderbird in high school and his song was Back in Black.” Bobby’s dad wins the draft, hands down.
Bobby’s selection of Tupac raised plenty of eyebrows – and led to this exchange:

Bobby, after watching Tags take Bob Dylan two picks after Bobby took Chuck Berry: “I’ve made a horrendous mistake.” He then spent the next several rounds trying to figure out how to acquire Dylan, even promising to deal Hendrix to Yates if Yates could acquire Dylan from Tags. Still following? Doesn’t matter. Tags wasn’t trading Dylan.
Yates, just before taking Marvin Gaye: “What’s going on with my next pick? I heard it through the grapevine that there ain’t no mountain high enough.” Mercy mercy me.
Bobby’s roster includes not one, but two lifelong blood feuds: Biggie and Tupac, and Neil Young and CCR. Chemistry could be an issue here. Even more baffling: Bobby insists that he wasn’t aware of the Tupac/Biggie beef, which … I mean, come on.
In addition to his slanderous takes on The Beatles and Nirvana, Tags took the opportunity to insult the commissioner’s choice of a veggie quesadilla for lunch (crafted with care by his wife). “That sounds awful,” he remarked. Feisty Mikey in the house!
Bobby is credited with the quote of the draft, context not required: “I am very fertile.”

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